Yesterday I posted the team Corsi ratings for 2014/15. Leading the NHL was the Los Angeles Kings with a +760 team Corsi. They had 760 more attempted shots in five on five situations than their opponents. This is almost ten more per game. This makes the kings the top puck possession team in 2014/15.

The problem is these Kings posted 95 points in the season. That placed them ninth place in West Conference. That is one point out of the playoffs. In 2012, the Kings posted 95 points and that was good for eighth place in the West. They won the Stanley Cup. That year the Kings were 12 points out of first place in Corsi. I would argue that both teams are similar in quality.

How can the Kings either miss or barely make the playoffs with the best puck possession in the league? Puck possession isn't everything. They are average at special teams. Their shooting and saves percentages were roughly average last season. Their problem came in overtime and shootouts. Los Angeles had a 3-15 record when a game went to overtime. That was the worst record in the league in that circumstance. That result is so poor that it must be seen as a fluke. It isn't sustainable. In any normal season they would have had several more points in overtime and shootouts. Under those circumstances the Kings would have made the playoffs. As a playoff team they had a good chance to make a serious run. Los Angeles was unlucky to not make the playoffs. They were a team that could have made a significant run.

As mentioned earlier today, a total of eight Red Wings prospects are taking part in World Junior summer camps this week--Dylan Larkin and Dominic Turgeon (USA), Julius Vahtalo and Vili Saarijarvi (Finland), Christoffer Ehn and Axel Holmstrom (Sweden) are all taking part in the U.S. World Junior evaluation camp in Lake Placid, NY, and Joe Hicketts (Canada) and Evgeny Svechnikov (Russia) taking part in Canada's World Junior camp in Calgary.

And, as you might imagine, Red Wings GM Ken Holland is absolutely delighted with the fact that six of the Red Wings' top prospects are taking part i a high-level competition in early August, as he told the Free Press's Helene St. James (via RedWingsFeed):

“They’re playing against their peers, that’s why I like it,” Holland told the Free Press. “To evaluate 18-19 year olds, if you try to evaluate them at a main camp, against pros, they don’t have the puck a lot. If you see them against their peers, you get a better read for their potential, and things they need to improve on.”

Just as importantly, unlike the summer development camps, spots with national teams are on the line, so there's checking, physical battling and different sets of team officials to impress.

It’s an especially good opportunity to see Holmstrom, because while the Wings have signed him, “we’re not bringing him to camp in fall because he’s trying to establish himself with a Swedish Elite League team,” Holland said.

While Saarijarvi is expected to play next season in Flint and Larkin either will be in Detroit or Grand Rapids, this is an opportunity to get a better handle on all six, as well as seeing some of next-year’s draft-eligible players.

St. James continues, stating that Holland will take in both camps. I'm sure he won't be representing the Wings alone--the World Junior summer camps precede the Under-17 Ivan Hlinka tournament in the Czech Republic, so this is basically the "start of the 2015-16 season" for the Red Wings' amateur scouts.

I don’t expect the NHLPA and Kings are negotiating settlement. The NHLPA is unlikely to accept the termination of Richards contract in any form. For the NHLPA, it simply cannot allow this precedent to stand as it could adversely impact its members. By allowing the termination to go unchallenged, the floodgates risk opening with teams terminating problem contracts. ‘He’s fat, cut him. He’s slow, cut him.’ Ultimately, expect the NHLPA to see this case as far too important an event and precedent to go unopposed.

-Eric Macramalla at Forbes on the LA Kings/Mike Ricards situation. Much more at Forbes.

In September, Noah Hanifin will try the hardest thing he’s done as a hockey player. The Norwood native will report to Traverse City, Mich., to play in the Red Wings’ annual eight-team rookie tournament. The 18-year-old will then graduate to Carolina’s main camp.

The two components will help determine whether Hanifin will make his NHL debut on Oct. 8. Most 18-year-olds are still asking their mothers to wash their dirty socks, not battling men with mortgages.

“If he’s ready to play, he’ll be in our lineup come October,” said Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis. “If he needs more time, we’ll do what we have to do to help in that regard, as well. We want what’s right for Noah.”

Hanifin, who left three years at Boston College on the table by turning pro, will have to fight for his first NHL paycheck. He’ll be competing for ice time against older teammates such as Ron Hainsey. In 2002, when Hainsey made his NHL debut, Hanifin was five years old.

But if anything ensures Raleigh as Hanifin’s landing spot instead of Charlotte, the Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate, it is the way he moves.

1. The World Junior camps are underway in Lake Placid (Dominic Turgeon and Dylan Larkin represent Team USA; Juilus Vahatalo represents Finland; and both Christoffer Ehn and Axel Holmstrom represent Sweden) and Calgary (Joe Hicketts is playing for Team Canada; Evgeny Svechnikov is playing for Russia), and ESPN's Corey Pronman is covering the U.S. camp:

There are a number of factors that will determine the Oilers' fortunes. Here are the three biggest questions for Edmonton heading into the season:

Will Connor McDavid live up to expectations? Not since Sidney Crosby has a player garnered as much attention entering the NHL. McDavid is considered a generational talent, and the focus heading into his rookie season will be on his offensive production. Crosby had 39 goals and 102 points as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Penguins, which might be lofty goals for McDavid.

"My expectations on myself exceed any of those put on me," McDavid said at the draft. "It's something I can't really worry about. Just have to worry about making sure I'm playing my game and doing all that. If I'm meeting my expectations, chances are I'll meet yours as well."

McDavid will have a strong supporting cast, including No. 1 picks Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov, which should take some pressure off him.

As far as I'm concerned, it's just a bit too early for fantasy hockey talk, but the Hockey News's Matt Larkin spent a good bit of time compiling the Hockey News's top 200 fantasy hockey player list, and seven Red Wings players made the cut:

43. Pavel Datsyuk, C: Quietly topped a point per game for second time in past three years. May miss first month, though. Watch the injury reports.

...

48. Henrik Zetterberg, C: Doesn’t score goals like he used to but still piles up points in Detroit.

...

61. Tomas Tatar, LW: A year ago, Gus Nyquist was Wings’ top young talent. Now it’s Tatar, who always had the better pedigree.

This inspired us to look at the most common and distinctive monikers in the NHL by generation, starting with team rosters as of the summer of 2015 and working our way back in 30-year intervals to the old tyme hockey days of 1925. The results were indeed revealing.

Although some names such as Mike, Dave, Bill and Bob have remained common, there have been distinct trends through the years. For example, you don't see many Gords, Dicks, Cecils or Wilfreds these days, but there are more Ryans, Jakes, Tylers and Brandons. And based on this year’s most popular names for babies, we’ll likely see more Liams, Noahs, Masons, Ethans and Logans skating around NHL rinks in coming years. Meanwhile the league’ ubiquitous nicknames of yore have given way to initials (P.K., T.J. etc.).

NOTE: For the sake of our tabulations, variations of a name (e.g. Mark/Marc/Marcus, Jon/John/Johnny, Nick/Nicholas/Nicklas) were lumped together. We’ve also included a nod to European, Scandavian and Russian players for they too provide a glimpse into the NHL's ever-changing demographics.

2015

TOP FIVE: Mike (26), John (25), Mark (22), Matt (21), Ryan (20)

PLUS/MINUS: John (+12), Matt (+21) and Ryan (+19) replaced Dave, Bob and Rich/Rick in the top five from 1984-85 when three Mats (Naslund, Hallin, Thelin) but no Matts or Matthews, and one Ryan (Walter), played in the NHL. In the iconic first names department, there is now one Wayne (Simmonds) and one Sid (Crosby) on NHL rosters but no Mario or Gordie.

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